by Lexi Wilson
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, you said as soon as possible, didn’t you?”
I grinned. “Well yes, I suppose I did. Don’t you want to know how much we offer?”
“No. I just want a job,” she said.
I nodded and told her where the school was. She promised to be there first thing in the morning so that I could show her what I needed from her, then she promptly thanked me and walked off. The whole exchange had been so strange, and as I went back into the house I realized I hadn’t asked her much about her musical abilities. I couldn’t surely have just given a job to someone based on how attractive they were? Maybe it wasn’t that, though. Perhaps I’d just been feeling a little sorry for her. Her big brown eyes made me think that she had been through a lot. I peeked out the window, just enough so that she wouldn’t see me looking, and saw her get into her car. It was the same beat-up car I’d seen drive past the music school only a few hours earlier. I smiled. She may not believe in serendipity, but I sure do. I quickly jotted down her license plate number and called up Styles to do a bit of digging for me.
Styles, or Officer Styles as most people called him, was the only detective in town. He was also my best friend, and someone who I could always turn to when I needed a shoulder to lean on. He was by far the funniest person I had ever met in my life, and I was constantly trying to get him to write his own detective novels. Due to the somewhat boring nature of where we lived, his detective work was often nothing more than having to find missing cats, or getting involved in the odd domestic dispute. Although he always promised his clients that he wouldn’t share their stories with anyone, he made an exception when it came to me.
“Officer Styles!” I said when he answered the phone.
He laughed. “I see you’ve finally got my name right.”
I chuckled. “I’ll call you Officer Styles if you call me Sir Jaxon.”
“Not going to happen, Jason.”
I groaned. Jason was something he had called me as a joke for a long time, and it had almost stuck. Thankfully he’d soon forgotten about it. “Don’t start that again,” I said. “You’re back to just being Styles now.”
“Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.”
“Hey, can you do me a favor?”
“Well, that depends,” he said. “Does this favor involve you buying me pizza in the near future?”
“That can certainly be arranged. But, of course, I’ll have to get one too. You know, because a friend does not let a friend eat alone.”
“Of course. Okay, fire away. What do you need? Do you have a cat that needs saving?”
“Nothing nearly as exciting as that. Actually, I have a license plate number I want you to run. If you don’t mind.”
“A license plate number? Oh, this actually does sound more exciting than finding a missing cat. Who are you trying to find?”
“Well, I got a knock on my door today. Some new girl in town wants to come and work at the music school with me. You remember I was looking for someone to work as a piano teacher, don’t you?”
“Sure. I actually saw some of your flyers today and I was going to ask you what was happening with that. So, who is this girl?”
“Her name is Kaylee, but right now that is all I know about her. Oh, and she has a very cute little daughter,” I said. “But that’s about it.”
“And she just knocked on your door asking you for a job? How did she know where to find you?”
“Oh, she went to get food at Susan’s and saw the poster there. Obviously, Susan led her directly to my house.”
Styles laughed. “Of course she did. Susan is too helpful for her own good. So, did you give her the job?”
“Yeah, I did, actually. She’s going to come through tomorrow to start. She seemed very eager to get started as soon as possible. Didn’t even ask me how much I was going to pay her,” I said.
“What? She didn’t even ask you about payment? That’s usually the most important question. So, is she good at playing the piano?” he asked.
“Uh, I have no idea.”
“Wait a second. You gave a girl a job without checking her credentials first? What if she’s terrible?”
“Then I’ll tell her she can’t work with me. There’s only one way to find out, though,” I said.
“True. Still, that’s an odd way of doing things. Let me guess, she was very pretty.”
I laughed. “Do you really think I would let someone’s looks to sway me like that? You know I’m not that sort of guy. I’m not shallow.”
“No, you’re not. But…was she pretty?” he asked again.
I chuckled. “She was gorgeous. Although she did look like she could do with a few good meals. Far too skinny.”
“And you said she has a daughter?”
“Yeah.”
“Also skinny?” he asked.
“No, the daughter looked good. I have a feeling she’s feeding her daughter before she feeds herself,” I said. “Which I suppose says a lot about her character.”
“That’s true. Okay, so, why do you want me to look her up?” he asked.
“I get the impression that she’s running away from something. I suppose it’s not really any of my business, but I’m curious. Anyway, if she’s going to be working for me then I’d like to know a little bit more about her. She doesn’t seem like the sort of person who is going to divulge that information quite easily. If she’s running away from something, or someone, then I want to know what’s going on. Can you help?”
“Of course I can. Let’s be honest, this is the most interesting job I’ve had in a long time. But you won’t get the information without pizza, remember?”
“That’s a done deal,” I said to him.
“Okay, well, I’ll call you as soon as I get some information. This might not tell you anything, though. I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything.”
“But I thought you were the greatest detective in the world,” I teased.
“No, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m the greatest detective in this town, but that’s not really saying much. Although, if you have a missing animal then I’m definitely the man to go to.”
“Duly noted.”
“Tell me something, Jaxon, are you planning on saving this girl?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on, I know you well enough,” he said.
“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“You like to save people. You can’t help it. It’s in your nature. You’re going to try and save this girl. I know it.”
I chuckled. “Nah, I’m not going to save her. I’m just curious to know who I’m going to be working with. That’s all.”
I wondered how much of what I had said to Styles was true, though. I did have a tendency to want to save people, and Kaylee seemed like the type that needed saving. I couldn’t help but think of the way her big brown eyes had looked at me. Perhaps Styles wouldn’t find anything on her, and maybe she wouldn’t let me try to save her anyway. But hopefully just giving her a job would help her.
Chapter 4
Kaylee
“I like Jaxon,” Allie said as we climbed back into the car.
I chuckled. “You do? Why?”
“He’s nice.”
“Is it because he likes toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches too?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. And I like his hair.”
I actually agreed with her. Jaxon did seem like a very nice guy. There was something very likable about him that had made me instantly comfortable. Although, I knew well enough not to get too fooled by someone just from first appearances. There was a big chance that Jaxon was a horrible person masked by a kind exterior. I didn’t think so, though. He had kind eyes, and that was impossible to hide. I wondered how old Jaxon was.
“How old do you think he is?” I asked Allie.
She giggled. “Forty-two.”
“Forty-two?”
“Forty-two thousand. Or ma
ybe five.”
I giggled. “I think you’re probably right.”
I wasn’t sure myself. I’d always been a very poor judge of people’s ages. I had a feeling he was a few years older than me though, but not by much. I wish I had thought to look for a wedding ring, but I hadn’t had time to think on that. Not that it mattered, of course, but if he was married I hoped I hadn’t upset his wife. I was, after all, just a strange woman knocking on his door and asking for a job. Perhaps I should go back to the diner and ask Susan more about him, but I didn’t want it to seem like I was snooping. Susan was great, but she struck me as the sort of woman who would go running back to tell him. I needed the job, and I also didn’t want to make too much of a scene. I needed to lay low as much as possible. Jaxon looked very different than Bill. Bill was tall and strong, with very defined muscles and a strong jawline. Even though he was good-looking, I no longer saw it. All I saw now were those angry eyes staring at me like he wanted to kill me. Jaxon, on the other hand, was like a big teddy bear. He had red hair and freckles, and he had only looked at me with curiosity. A word to describe Bill would be dangerous, while ‘safe’ would be the accurate word for Jaxon. Of course, I was only basing this on first impressions, something I had promised myself never to do again. Right now, I was just glad that I had a job.
That night we split the rest of the muffin, and then found a small shop where I bought a few more things to eat for the night. I bought some bread rolls, some cheese, and some fruit. It was hard when you couldn’t cook proper meals, and I knew that I needed to start making money soon. I wanted Allie to get a proper home-cooked meal again. Bread was the cheapest way to go, but it wasn’t the most nutritious thing I could find for her. She was such a good kid though, and never complained. I was lucky to have her. I found a park and the two of us went for a long walk. Along with something to eat I also made sure that she got enough exercise for the day. The park was great, and we found a little pond to sit at. She’d kept a few crumbs to feed to the birds too. For someone that wasn’t getting a lot of food, I thought that was very nice of her.
We then drove around to find a quiet place to park the car. We always had to be quite careful, as I didn’t want to park in front of someone’s house and have them call the cops on us. In the end, we settled on a place near the back of the park. I pushed the seats down and wrapped Allie up in a blanket. I waited until she was fast asleep before allowing myself to fall asleep too. I never slept well in the car, but I was starting to get used to it. For the first few days I had barely slept at all, but my body craved sleep too much now.
We didn’t have curtains, so we woke when the sun rose. We spent the early morning going for a small walk and then we took a drive to the diner. Once inside, we made our way to the bathroom to have a little shower. There was only a basin, but I took my time cleaning the two of us as best as I could. I was going to have to find a proper shower soon so that I could wash our hair, but for today this was just going to have to do. Then, I put our least wrinkled outfits on and we headed back out to the counter. Susan saw us and grinned. I hoped she wouldn’t ask me why I had gone into the bathroom with so many bags, but she didn’t say anything, and I was grateful for it.
“Kaylee!” she said. “Good morning. And now I finally get to meet the lovely Allie. Hi, Allie. I’m Susan. Your mom came in here yesterday and you were fast asleep.”
“This is the lady that gave us those toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches. Isn’t that nice?”
Allie nodded. “Yes,” she said shyly.
“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. Take a seat, I’ll get you both something to drink. You’re our first customers of the day, which means your drinks are free.”
Part of me really wished Susan would stop giving us free stuff, but another part of me was just too grateful to complain. I thanked her and smiled as she poured me a big cup of coffee. She then made a hot cocoa for Allie, who was so delighted she couldn’t stop smiling.
“Well, we better get going. I’m starting with Jaxon today,” I told Susan after our oatmeal breakfast. It had been such a warm and comforting dish that I now felt even more ready for my day ahead.
“You are? You got the job? That’s wonderful news.”
I grinned. “It sure is. Uh, could I ask you a question?”
“Go for it.”
“Do I…” I blushed. “Do I look okay?” By ‘okay’ I really meant ‘clean’, but I didn’t want to come right out and say it. I’d done my best in the bathroom, but I wasn’t sure if it was good enough.
“You look fantastic,” she said to me. “You both do.”
We thanked her, hurried to the bathroom to brush our teeth, and then made our way over to the school. The one thing I hadn’t told Jaxon was that I was going to have to bring Allie with me to work until I figured something out. I probably should have mentioned that to him yesterday, or at least asked for his permission. But I was too scared that he would say no and that I’d be out of a job because of it.
I made my way over to the school with Allie on my hip and took a few deep breaths before knocking on the door. This time it wasn’t Jaxon who answered, but a woman who was clearly related to him. She had red hair and kind eyes, and the moment she saw me she smiled.
“You must be Kaylee,” she said to me. “I’m Lisa, the owner of the school.”
“You are?” I asked in surprise.
“Well, co-owner. You already met my son, Jaxon. He told me that you were starting today. Come on in and I’ll show you around. And who do we have here?” she asked Allie. “What a beautiful girl.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Uh, this is Allie. I’m so sorry about bringing her with me. Right now, I have no place else to leave her. I promise you I’ll make a plan as soon as possible. She’s very good though, and she won’t get in the way. I promise you.”
Lisa shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I’m a sucker for kids. And she sure is beautiful. Honestly, it’s no problem at all for you to have her here with you.”
“Thank you,” I said with relief. I felt an odd sensation welling up inside me. Almost as if I were about to cry. Everyone in this town was just so nice, and I wasn’t used to it.
Lisa took me around the school, which was really a converted house. What used to be bedrooms had now been converted into classrooms, with each one focused on a specific instrument.
“And this used to be the living room,” Lisa said. “As you can see, we have now converted it into a concert room. And these,” she said as she pointed to the frames along the wall, “are some of the awards we’ve won, as well as pictures of our previous students. We take great pride in them. We love these kids so much. Especially the ones who really don’t want to be here,” she said, and chuckled. “Those are the kids who always surprise us the most. Now, let me show you to the piano room.”
Lisa took me to a classroom where the piano sat. The piano was so beautiful it took my breath away.
“Most of the instruments have been given to us by the town, but this piano was actually from my great-grandfather. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Oh, it’s amazing,” I said.
She smiled. “It sure is. Now, as you can see there is a good-sized area here for Allie to play while you do your teaching. You can keep an eye on her at the same time, so that should help.”
“Thank you so much,” I said to her in amazement. Her hospitality had taken me by surprise. She had just met me, and yet she was being so nice to me.
“Oh, it’s no problem at all. We’re just happy to have you here.”
“Uh, I’m…” I stopped. I wasn’t sure how to tell her that although I had always loved playing the piano, I hadn’t actually taught it before. My mother had insisted that I learn, and I had played very well for most of my life. But I’d stopped playing since being with Bill, and this would be the first time that I was going to play in a long time. I felt like such a fraud. “I haven’t played in a while,” I said to her. My voice was so soft it had come out as a whisp
er.
She smiled. “Don’t worry. It will all come back to you. We’re not very strict around here anyway. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you spend a bit of time getting used to the piano before the students come in. You’re very early, and there is at least an hour and a half before they’ll be in. That will give you enough time.”
“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “I’d like that. And, uh, what exactly will I be teaching them?” I asked. I suddenly realized how out of my depth I was. I didn’t know anything there was to know about teaching piano, and I was sure I was now going to make a fool of myself.
“Jaxon will be in shortly and he’ll run through the schedule with you. Don’t worry. It’s your first day, which is always daunting. But you’ll be fine. Now, can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”
“Oh, I’m okay, thank you,” I said.
“Are you sure? I’m making one for myself anyway. Allie, how about you? Would you like some tea?”
Allie’s eyes widened as she looked at me, and I knew she wanted to say yes. I smiled. “Okay, we’ll both take some tea. Thank you so much.”
“Thank you,” Allie said, and I smiled at her.
The moment Lisa left, I went over to Allie and gave her a big hug.
“Now, Mommy is going to practice the piano and then she’s going to be teaching some kids how to play. I need you to be a good girl today, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay, Mommy.”
“Good. Here is your book and your pens. Why don’t you do some drawings over there for me? If you need to go to the bathroom you just come and let me know and I’ll take you. Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay. I like it here.”
I smiled. “Me too, Allie. Me too.”
Chapter 5
Jaxon
“Hey Jaxon, sorry to bother you so early, man. You at work already?” Styles said.
“I just got to the school, but I’m in still in my car. What’s up?”
“I just got the results back from the license plate.”
